Posts Tagged ‘Sudan’
Dinka, a Wonderful Nilotic Ethnic Group from Sudan
The Dinka are a Nilotic ethnic group from South Sudan. They live from the tenth century on both sides of the Nile River and speak a language belonging to the Nilo-Saharan group.
They are about 3 million and are divided into about 21 groups, each with its own legitimate leader.
Although farming has always been its main economic resource, there has never missed an important agricultural and fishing activity that allowed them to be self-sufficient in food.
Their trade and light industry are increasingly gaining importance.
Photographers Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher have an experience of over 30 years recording ceremonies, rituals and daily life of African tribal peoples.
His photographs reflect a long and deep relationship of respect for the customs and people of these tribes, especially those of the Dinka:
Saudi financed Joint Arab Force to be headquartered in Sudan? How convenient
Posted on: April 6, 2015
Saudi financed Joint Arab Force to be headquartered in Sudan? How convenient
Khartoum to be ‘capital’ of the joint Arab force?
The farthest State in the Arab League and one of the poorest and most ravaged by civil war (for over 3 decades) and whose leader has been summoned by the International Court for crimes against humanity committed in Darfur could be selected to host the headquarter of this stupid force financed by the most obscurantist Saudi monarchy.
Alwiya Mukhtar posted this March 30, 2015
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Sudan is strategically located at the heart of the Arab region. |
Analysts believe Sudan has the necessary logistical and structural potential to host the training and leadership of the Arab force, given its strategic location at the heart of the Arab region.
However, analysts say that implementation will require Khartoum to take serious steps to end its internal political tensions and wars across the country by reaching a comprehensive peace agreement and political settlement, leading to a transitional government with the participation of all political powers, including armed and peaceful opposition.
In addition, analysts point out that the coming phase will witness Arab and international pressure and initiatives to end Sudan’s internal crisis and thus guarantee a suitable environment for the joint defence forces.
They also consider the preparatory conference, held in Addis Ababa today and attended by both the government and the revolutionary front (represented by the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North and Darfur movements, as well as the Umma opposition party, led by al-Sadiq al-Mahdi), to be a window to the awaited political settlement.
During the 1970s, Sudan was selected as a centre for the leadership of Arab forces, but this did not bring any political or economic gains to the country.
For years, Sudan has been suffering from an economic crisis, further aggravated by the separation and independence of the south in 2011, which lost Khartoum oil revenues that constituted nearly 70 percent of the general budget’s revenues.
Khartoum’s approval to host the Arab forces would end the break in relations with Arab countries, especially in the Gulf.
Thus, Sudan is expected to attract more investment.
Political analyst Maher Abul Jokh believes Sudan is the most suitable centre for the Arab forces, given its infrastructure (what that?) and the Khartoum building that hosted the UNAMID force before it moved out following the completion of its mission by the end of the transitional phase and the separation of the South.
Abul Jokh also believes it is unlikely for Sudan to relive what happened in 1973 when it was selected as a centre for Arab forces.
“Things are different now because there are real threats that prompt Arab countries to deal with them,” he said.
This is an edited translation from our Arabic edition.
– See more at: http://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/politics/2015/3/30/khartoum-to-be-capital-of-the-joint-arab-force#sthash.wX0ZWVZt.dpuf
China displacing Europe in Greece
Posted on: October 4, 2010
China has officially visited Greece last week and signed 11 economic agreements. China has secured the management of the main Greek port of Piraeus for 35 years in return of investing $700 million for building a new extension and modernizing the port. The Greek vice premier declared: “China invests in real money and is not like Wall Street using faked paper money. China invests in palpable business matters and do commerce in real objects and trading goods. China will aid Greece in a tangible economic development of its infrastructure.”
Chinese tourists are already invading the Greek islands.
The executive manager of the Chinese giant maritime company Cusco declared: “We have built the nest so that the eagle investors in China will find a place to come to. This is how we contribute to the interest of both countries.”
Jealous Japan decided to increase its investment in Greece with $34 billion in order to compete with the Yellow Dragon. Europe is understandably very worried. Jonathan Wood said in London: “Europe is apprehensive of trade imbalance with China. Europe might be in the same position as the US in trade imbalance with China.”
China has already taken over Sudan investing in oil, gas, agricultural lands, forest, water, and mineral resources while the US was busy playing war games in Iraq and Afghanistan. The US had 50 years to befriend Sudan but considered this outstretched super-undeveloped country as a reserve land to fall back to when needed. The US may try to resume destabilizing Sudan in the short-term, but the game is over: The US can benefit to negotiate with China to becoming a major subsidiary in Sudan’s wealth.
The central bank of China is siting on a monstrous pile of liquid money and has to turn it over quickly: “The price is not a problem” with this much devalued Yuan.
Kid-Soldiers
Posted on: October 30, 2009
Kid-Soldiers; (October 30, 2009)
The last two decades witnessed recruiting kids to joining guerillas and armies in the various civil wars in Africa. The UN estimates that more than 300,000 kids played soldiers in various functions. Since many kid girls were also swiped into “the war efforts” and be used mainly as “sexual slaves” and partners in many other tasks then the UN decided to name these kids “Kids associated with armed groups”.
Over thirty conflicts in the Congo, Chad, Sudan, Uganda, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Sierra Leon, Mozambique, Angola, Burundi, Darfur, and Myanmar (former Burma) made the forced recruiting of children a way of life; many kids who grew up quickly by committing murder and learning to survive are still carrying arms after the cessation of hostilities. The task of re-integrating these kids into their communities is turning to be a daunting effort. Communities had to re-create rituals of purification so that the kids feel comfortable when welcomed in their families. The UN is doing its best in that regard under the various MINU* missions.
Isolating these kid-soldiers is not the solution: families and communities have to be encouraged to taking these kids back within society. The main difficulty is that families have greater need for psychological supports then the kid-soldier since families will have the burden of assimilating and controlling aggressive kids who turned out to be “best soldiers” for killing and executing their “enemies”. Many of the kid-soldiers were forced to mutilate members of their families to discourage them from escaping the military group and going back to their communities. The kid-soldiers had the opportunity to realize their dreams of omni power status; they feel immortal with power to back it up.
These kid-soldiers would not go into agriculture or solitary jobs outside urban environments: they have dreamt of getting out of their former peasant or tribal restrictions and will not return. Kid-soldiers like driving taxis in cities, mixing with people, and get remunerated as adult soldiers when disbanded. Kid-soldiers are mostly ready as reservists for regular armies: fighting is their main job and they learned it better than adult soldiers.
International Justice failed to sent the strong right signal to those who hired and recruited kid-soldiers; actually, many of those recruiters were elevated to ranks of Generals after the civil wars. What the UN is doing for re-inserting these kid-soldiers is not enough and short on target: the specialists are still in the phase of learning what to do with kid-soldiers before they can measure successes of re-insertion programs. The governments offering funds for re-integrating kid-soldiers are doing it to relieve their bad conscience and care less for effective results.
Adonis Diaries 
